Is it really “Hate Speech”?

Richard Hollerman

It doesn’t take a person long to encounter the charge that we are involved in “hate speech.” It may be on the job when a boss or fellow-employee makes this charge. It may be in a secular high school or college. It may be from friends or neighbors. What they say may be wrong, it may be misleading, or it may be a lie. But there it is: Someone may say that you or I hold to “hate speech.”

If a person on the job has divorced his wife and married another person, or it may be that a woman has divorced her husband and married someone else. The person in question then accuses you of “hate speech” when you tell him or her that he or she is living in the sin of adultery. Of course, you may just remain quiet but if you say anything negative about this relationship, the person may seek to defend himself by saying that you are involved in hateful speech. It may easily go to the next level for the person may be so incensed that you cannot condone or celebrate the relationship, thus they accuse you of this nebulous “hate speech.”

If this can very easily be imagined, go further. Suppose that you openly stand for truth, thus you say that Jesus is the only way of salvation. After all, doesn’t Scripture clearly say that only in the name of Jesus can one be saved (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the only way of salvation (John 4:12) and the only way to be reconciled to God (1 Timothy 2:5).

Therefore, why would it be wrong to point out to someone (if we have the opportunity) that we can only go to heaven by believing in Christ? How could this be wrong—if it actually is the truth? If we must deal with spiritual and moral relativism and pluralism, this is one thing. But are we really living in this sort of culture?

But we can clearly see that this would not go well with many or even most religions around us. A Mormon or Witness may expect you to say what you say but they won’t like it. But what about the neighbor who is a Hindu, or the fellow-worker who is a Muslim, or the friend who is a Buddhist? If we stand for truth, we need to be prepared to let others know that the Lord Jesus is the only way. Without Him, all is lost and there is no way to escape their ultimate fate. Isn’t this the truth and telling others the truth surely is the way of life—isn’t it?

Suppose that someone is in a secular institution, such as a high school or college or university campus. The recognized “authority” who gives the grade may begin to promote the lie that all things have evolved from a supposed “Big Bang” and today we see a massive amount of variety. You are told that all of this has come from billions of years of slow evolutionary processes. If we contradict this, we will lose any positive grade and either the teacher or professor will accuse you of “hate speech.” Nature did it and a supernatural Creator didn’t do it—so it goes. If you object, you are involved in hate speech—or so we are told.

Suppose that we work with a young man or middle-aged woman and we must stand for Biblical morality? The man may be “living with” (having sex with) another man. Or a woman may be involved in a relationship with another woman. Or a man may want you to agree that he is a woman, or a girl may insist that you call her a man—when you know that the truth is the very opposite! It may also be that your friend is living with his girlfriend, or another friend is living with her boyfriend. There are many different kinds of immorality around us and if someone knows that you take God seriously, he or she may object and call you old fashioned, puritanical, rigid, narrow, fanatical, or prudish. Let’s expect this for it definitely will come and probably has already!

We may be called to suffer for the cause of Christ and righteousness for this is part of living for Him! Suppose that two sodomites (homosexuals) want you to approve of their immoral relationship. We have all heard or read of the cake-maker who would not make a cake for sodomites. (We might ask whether it is even right to make cakes!) And it didn’t go well for this cake-maker since the sodomites objected to his stand.

There might be a hundred different opportunities to compromise. A man and woman want to rent a house or apartment from you, but you know that this will give them the opportunity to commit unspeakable sin in your own place. If you object, they may accuse you of hate speech. Of they make take you to the Law and throw you in jail! If you say anything about your Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic, or atheistic neighbor, you may be accused of hate speech. Are we prepared?

We might well ask how these people would know that our speech is motivated by “hatred.” Can they look into our heart? Can they “read our minds”? Regardless of what is “politically correct,” do people really know that you have hatred in your heart and that this hatred is manifested in the truth we share? If you do have such hatred, perhaps you need to repent. Yes, Scripture does say that we might “hate” certain sins as God does (Proverbs 6:16-19), but there is also much Scripture that says that normally we are to love all people—including those guilty of sin and immorality around us.

We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). If we speak the truth when we say that the evolutionist hates God, holds to a lie, and does not speak truth, let us not be ashamed. Let us recognize the fact that we are siding with God and holding His views when we say that a lie is a lie, fornication is fornication, and false religion is actually false religion. And this is something that God hates. All sin will not only separate a person from God here but such sin will result in the sinner’s eternal banishment from God and heaven!

The several facts that we wish for us to keep in mind are these. First, let’s make sure that we are holding to the same views that God holds in all things. Secondly, let us not be ashamed or hesitant to let people know what is sin and what is righteousness, what is truth and what is error. Thirdly, let us look at our heart and see if there might be any bad attitude or evil speech involved on our part. Fourth, let us make sure that what we say and what we stand for is the truth, without any admixture of lies or dishonesty.

The next time that someone accuses you of “hate speech,” let’s make sure that this is a false statement. Let’s look at our heart and conscience and see if we have any unjustified hatred instead of a heart-felt love for the person. This is true, whether we are speaking about the sodomite, the adulterer, the fornicator, the unbeliever, the evolutionist, the covetous man, the practitioner of false religion, and all others. When anyone (such as a boss, an educator, a neighbor, a friend, or anyone else) may accuse you of “hate speech,” let us be firmly convinced that we do have love—a saving love—for the sinner.

May God help us to speak the truth in love at all times (cf. Ephesians 4:15).